Negocios Now

14 Octubre 2012 NegociosNow www.negociosnow.com Hispanic Busines has been growing in Aurora and other suburbs where there are more than 30,000 latino companies, according to the Census Bureau. Can Latinos Save Aurora, Illinois? Cashing in on The Conquistador's Medallion By Jerry Campagna Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, I received this call... "Hello, my name is Bill Law from BBC News in Lon- don, and we're coming to America to recorñd a radio documentary..." At first, I thought it was one of my O friends pulling a prank; after all, why would the British Broadcasting Cor- poration (BBC), the largest broad- caster in the world with over 23,000 staff, be calling the Aurora Hispanic Chamber? I soon found out... Bill explained that the thesis of the docu- mentary was premised on exploring "the potential of America' s fastest growing minority - did Latinos hold the key to a 'reborn' USA." * The BBC chose two U.S. cities to visit and conduct a series of inter- views: Miami, Florida and Aurora, Illinois; Miami representing a more mature Latino community—where English is often the second language, and Aurora because of the dramatic Latino population increase accor- ding to the U.S. 2010 Census count (46,557 to 81,809) in the second lar- gest Illinois city with the second lar- gest Latino population. Bill asked if we could assist in set- ting up a series of interviews with local community members. We agreed, and over the course of three days in late July I escorted the two Hispanics businesses in Aurora are playing an important role in the city's development. BBC correspondents through over a dozen wide ranging interviews; from social workers to a retired police commander; owner of a Mexican res- taurant to the president of a manu- facturing plant; undocumented stu- dents to a Catholic priest. Personally, it was a pivot shifting experience... never had I listened to so many varied perspectives on the Latino community in such a short period of time, with the big question always looming in the background— with such a large and growing demo- graphic—why weren't more Latinos in positions of social, corporate and governmental leadership? Before leaving, the BBC inter- viewed me for my perspective, and in an "Ah-Ha" moment it came to me: Latinos have not realized the value and claimed both sides of what I now call the "Conquistador' s Medallion" that we have been carrying for over 500 years. On one side of the Conquistador' is s Medallion the Spanish word "¡Mande!" which literally translates as "Command Me!" On the other side of the Medallion is the Spanish word "¡Ganas!" which translates as a "Desire To Win!" On the "¡Mande!" side of the Meda- llion... for over 500 years, most of our Latino ancestors (with the exception of a small privileged oligarchy) have n the second day of my new position as the Interim Exe- cutive Director of the Aurora accepted their perceived place as the obedient servant of the conquerors. And those who either invaded or rose from the masses to claim the Conquistador' s throne often in turn demanded of the masses that they be addressed with the word "¡Man- de!" And although centuries have passed, we in the United States, as the descendants of our Latin Ame- rican ancestors, act from a deeply ingrained 'us versus them' menta- lity: all too often laying claim to the Conquistador' s throne when elected to positions of power, devolving into the oppressor from the place of the oppressed. And on the "¡Ganas!" side of the Medallion... for over 500 years, most of our Latino ancestors with the exception of that small privileged oligarchy, have accepted that they must work harder, longer, and with more fortitude; having bought into their perceived place as the obedient servant of the conquerors. ¡Basta/Enough! It is time for Latinos to own both sides of the Conquistador's Meda- llion and claim our place as Stewards, not Conquistadors, of our people. Stewardship entails a responsibility to further the best interests of tho- se whom we represent; it involves a sacred trust, given by the repre- sented, to a leader they believe will make decisions which benefit the entire community, not a chosen few. Stewards also require a healthy dose of fortitude – ganas - to overcome any and all obstacles they will encounter, among ourselves and with the grea- ter community in which we live. We can look to many examples of others who have claimed their Medallion. Martin Luther King walked African Americans, from all stations of life, to the promised land. Mahatma Gandhi shed the woven suits of colonialism in India, weaving Indians from all religious sects, to a united and free country. And there are many other examples in history of oppressed people who came to the realization that the only way for them to truly be free was to unite ALL sectors of their communi- ty under the banner of Stewardship and Fortitude. And like many before me, I have a dream that as a people, we can get to the Promised Land. We are already here in Aurora, Illinois. We just need to claim our place as Stewards for our greater community—so that we can affirmatively answer the question: Can Latinos Save America? ¡SI! * The first episode of the upcoming two part radio documentary called "Can Latinos Save America?" will broadcast globally on the BBC World Service starting 9/11/12; click the following link for times: http://www. bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00xnxn6/ episodes/upcoming Aurora

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